Britain's new nuclear submarines will usher in a silent, high-tech era of undersea deterrence, mirroring U.S. advancements and housing potent Trident missiles.
by Kris Osborn, Warrior
The United Kingdom is surging ahead with its nuclear-armed Dreadnought-class submarines designed to replace the existing Royal Navy Vanguard class and bring Trident II D5 nuclear missiles to hidden realms of the undersea domain.
The Paradox of Deterrence
This is the essence of undersea deterrence for the US and Britain, a promise of complete retaliatory destruction in the event either country is subject to a nuclear first strike. The concept of deterrence is ultimately paradoxical, as weapons capable of massive destruction and death, are deployed to “keep the peace.” The assurance of a crippling retaliatory strike is intended to prevent a would-be nuclear attacking country from thinking it could somehow survive and prevail by launching a first-nuclear strike.
Given the fast-paced arrival at which China is adding to its nuclear arsenal, and technological improvements on weapons systems such as next-generation submarine detection technology from both Russia and China, the UK and US both need to greatly modernize undersea deterrence.
Much like the US Navy’s Ohio-class submarines, the UK’s Vanguard class is in need of a more modern, higher-tech, quieter replacement. The Vanguard-class entered service in the 1990s with the intent of operating for 25 years, yet much like the US Ohio, it has been extended well-beyond its anticipated life-span. Therefore, much like the US, the UK operates with an urgent need to maintain what it calls a “continuous at-sea” deterrent.
U.S. Navy Columbia-UK Dreadnought Synergy
Technology being built into the UK’s Dreadnought-class boats will align with the US Navy’s emerging Columbia-class submarines in development to replace the Ohio-class. Perhaps the most significant element of this alignment is the jointly-developed Common Missile Compartment; both the Columbia-class and Dreadnought-class will use the same midsection module to house Trident II D5 nuclear missiles.
There are likely to be other technologies commonly shared between the two submarines, such as a quieter X-shaped stern and “fly-by-wire” automated computerized navigational system.
The Columbias are being built with a handful of cutting edge technologies initially woven into the Virginia-class boats such as fiber-optic cable, a large aperture bow sonar and the “fly-by-wire” joystick controlled navigational system. This “fly-by-wire” navigation uses computer automation and a joystick with graphics to maintain depth, speed and angle while a human operator performs command and control. This replaces previous hydraulic mechanical systems and adds a new level of navigational precision and stability.
The UK “fly-by-wire” system is a BAE Systems system called Active Vehicle Control Management, an innovation a BAE essay describes as “adapting controls that are usually used in fly-by-wire aircraft and applying them in a marine environment. The electronics, developers explain, will be used to control the heading, pitch, depth and buoyancy of the Dreadnought class.
Electric Drive Propulsion
Like the Columbia-class, the Dreadnought submarines will use a quieter “electric drive” propulsion system which both increases propulsion efficiency and stability and helps generate additional on-power power for the electrical systems on the boat.
New design models of the Dreadnought have recently been released by BAE and the Royal Navy, and they show a revised bow and different configuration than had been previously planned. There are few specifics available, however the Royal Navy has published limited specifications for the boat, which include a displacement of 18,600 tons and a length of 504ft.
The undersea UK-UK nuclear deterrence collaboration is likely quite significant, as it is something now informing both country’s plans for the 2030s. The US is of course building its new Columbia-class submarines and it aligns with the UK’s now-developing Dreadnought-class. Both the Dreadnought-class and Vanguard-class submarines will integrate a joint, common missile compartment engineered to house Trident II D5 missiles.
Trident II D5 “Life Extension”
The US Ohio-class boats are now armed with an upgraded Trident II D5 nuclear missile, something which will also arm the UK’s Dreadnought-class boats. The US Navy has spent years working with Lockheed on a Trident II D5 life-extension program designed to ensure the decades old weapons are upgraded, modernized and sustained into future decades. The Trident II D5 “E”s as they are called are being engineered to replace the standard Trident II D5 with improved electronics, firing circuitry and technology intended to arm the Columbia-class boats.
Kris Osborn is the President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a highly qualified expert in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University